Twenty Questions?

This is a computerised version of the old game - animal, vegetable, mineral - done by a pc - give it a try - its fascinating - especially afterwards when the computer takes issue with your answers - it's a great distraction. Give it a whirl.

Great Indian Battles - Monongahela 2005

this is an exceptional photogallery of pics for this reenactment entitled 'Drums in the Forest'.
DVD of "Drums in the Forest" - now available$13.75 (includes shipping) Send your check to:Old Bedford Village 220 Sawblade RoadBedford, PA 15522

Battle of Point Pleasant 1774

this battle between the Virginia Militia and Ohio Natives was recognised in 1908 as the first battle in the American Revolution. This battle also yields some interesting sidelines - notably the Cornstalk curse which gets caught up in the Mothman phenomena

Brothers Grimm

For once Terry Gilliam has got it right. This historically based fantasy around the exploits of the Brothers Grimm (Matt Damn, Heath Ledger) is seasonal movie magic. Not a kids film by any stretch of the imagination this movie manages to deal with Red Riding Hood, the Gingerbread Man and all your favourite childhood tales and be really quite frightening at the same time. The settings are superb, - the forests of Thuringia and Westphalia under Napoleon's yolk are magnificently recreated using Prague as a stand in which seems to be the city of choice for all Napoelonic movies these days.
Full of gothic charm and period flavour (those poor geese must have got sick of being ridden through hastily) it is a visual feast. I'm not really a Gilliam fan as his jokes always seem a little lame and his surrealistic touches often unnecessary but this film did it for me - it almost made up for the disappointment I felt on seeing Baron Munchhausen.

the First Invasion - War of 1812

this History Channel documentary looks impressive. Already region 1 dvds of this are on ebay so I might take the plunge.

Alamo village

If you are a fan of Americana - which I suppose I must be - you'll find this site dedicated to the movie set built for the Wayne 'Alamo' interesting. Also this recollection - also includes a 360 degree tour.

Sullivan-Clinton Campaign 1779

this visually impressive site is dedicated to this campaign against the Six Nations. Slideshows are impressive and atmospheric

Maryland Light Dragoons War of 1812

interesting site with good links

Brothers Grimm

this movie, by Terry Gilliam has been picking up good comments for its historical accuracy - set in 1804 - and its content - I'll review it soon - check out the trailers and the official site

Great Indian Battles - St Clair's Defeat 1791

On this day in 1791 almost 700 American troops were killed to the loss of about 40 indians near Fort Recovery Ohio. This battle, sometimes known as the Battle of the Wabash was the worst any American army suffered at the hands of a Native foe, so big a defeat it has probably helped it stay in obscurity. It left Washington's fledgling country with an army of 300 to defend itself and was the subject of the country's first congressional enquiry. It's a little spooky that I was going to write about this battle for my blog before I realised today was the anniversary. Anyway, there are no epic paintings of this battle to put up but here are some links to find out a bit more about this great victory of Little Turtle and his confederacy.
Info about the Song - and the background - if you go to this page you'll hear the tune and see all the lyrics at the bottom of the page. Page on Blue Jacket - info on St Clair.
Sadly it didn't feature in a 'Remember the Wabash' type battlecry but it did spur on the formation of a disciplined fighting force known as the Legion of the United States - aka Wayne's Legion.

Rome

this 60m epic of Rome doesn't grab me I'm afraid. Watch the clips, though.

book; Wilderness War on the Ohio

More great Indian Battles; Battle of Oriskany 1777

The Oneidas at the Battle of Oriskany - August 6, 1777
This battle is aluded to in the movie Drums Along the Mohawk as is the General, Herkimer represented. Rated as one of the bloodiest battles of the Revolution heavy rain meant desperate hand-to-hand fighting was the order for much of the battle. This excellent representation of the Oneidas is by Don Troianni and is available as a print from here
If you enlarge it you may notice the incident depicts Two Kettles Together loading a musket for a wounded warrior Honyere. More information on this from an Oneida perspective here

Walter D Edmonds

We all know the movie Drums Along the Mohawk - it's one of the great forgotten movies of 1939 and I've long fancied reading the book. Above is a list of his other historical works - some sound really intriguing.

Perry Miniatures

The Perry twins must be Britain's first 'star' sculptors - they have, with their work with Games Workshop, the Foundry and now on their own, set the trends and defined both the aesthetic and scale across the historical miniatures market. They not only have the whole sculpting thing weighed off they also are now very historically accurate in what they create. They certainly have come a long way since their Wargames Foundry English Civil war range when I first became aware of them. You can sense the enthusiasm in their work in the poses, the ideas and the research. The figures come in black boxes so they might make an ideal gift. Worth checking out are their American Revolution, 40mm Peninsular, and the 'Workbench section to see some great 'greens'

Light Brigade Bugle

Sound clip from 1880s! Presumably this is the same bugle bought by Laurence Harvey at an auctionin the 1960s and had played on the Ed Sullivan show by a trooper in period uniform. This sounds a strange scene indeed compared to say, the Beatles. Harvey had bought the screen rights to Cecil Woodham-Smith's The Reason Why, which for some reason Tony Richardson felt he needed for his version of the charge. Harvey was given a small part that was eventually cut as part of the deal to get the rights. The bugle went to the Regimental museum. Osbourne's screenplay documents here

Great Indian Battles; Blue Licks

I'm going to try a top ten Indian Battles list - this one is reckoned to be the last battle of the Revolution - photos of a 2002 reenactment here - some good images
Also while on the search for such things Kentuckianish to go with the above - ran into this gallery. I don't know but seeing these sort of images make me long for the kind of weather and conditions to 'trek' like that
History of Boone and his early fights with the Shawnee here

Virginia Militia War of 1812

this is an article for the recreated unit's impression.
Military Heritage's War of 1812 website has some useful articles and links too. There's an awful mass of genealogical information out there on this period - people should safely assume that they have a relative doing something somewhere and get on with something else, but that's my opinion.

James Alexander Thom

This author of historical fiction is probably best known for 'Follow the River' and 'Panther Across the Sky' (about Tecumseh). Mostly writing about the Shawnee his wife is a Clan Mother of the United Remant Band

1812 wargames on the web

there's a couple of great lookng 1812 wargames up at the moment - ideal if you have long winter evenings to fill and have a decent printer. The above linked one is graphically exceptional (see left pic) and the other one based on the battle of Chippewa ideal for junior combatants. So why not download and print them off

The Petersburg Volunteers

History of the unit in the War of 1812. Might be one to do. This book looks worth getting.

Prophetstown and the Vision - 1805

So it's also the bicentenary of this event as well as the other more popularised bicentennials such as Trafalgar and Austerlitz. Go here to see Prophetstown's Native American gallery, or have a look at these biogs of Shawnee leaders - here's one on Tecumseh

the art is 'Kinsman to the Shawnee' by John Buxton

Panther Across the Sky - Tecumseh/New Madrid

You can't look at the War of 1812 for long without coming on to the subject of Tecumseh. The above article is interesting and includes a chunk of Allan Eckert. Panther Across the Sky is also the title of a novel based on Tecumseh's life that was filmed in 1994 as Tecumseh: The Last Warrior This is not available at a reasonable price on DVD yet but if it was I'd recommend it as a reasonable movie of the Shawnee leader's life, worth looking out for if it comes on tv.

Remember the Raisin

Remember the Raisin
paiting by Ken Riley book by G. Glenn Clift
'Remember the Raisin' has been regarded as one of the richest collections of Kentucky War of 1812 source material ever published. The Battle on River Raisin, which was fought in and around Frenchtown (now Monroe), Michigan from January 18 through January 23, 1812, was one of the four principal campaigns of the War of 1812 engaged in by Kentucky forces. American forces were defeated at Frenchtown and approximately 60 Kentucky soldiers were massacred. When news of the massacre reached Kentucky, patriots exhorted one another with shouts of "Remember the Raisin!" thereby helping to encourage participation in the remaining battles of the War of 1812. Remember the Raisin is a comprehensive look at the Battle on River Raisin, including the events leading up to the battle, troop movements, and eyewitness accounts of the skirmishes and the massacre itself.

More sources here

War of 1812

this is a nice-looking site with a promise of mutlimedia cd to come.
Also visit http://www.iaw.on.ca/~jsek/ for Fort Erie's War of 1812 site with lots of photos of reenactors etc., like this one by Mike Lynaugh. One series of images show the poder magazine igniting... spectacular
if you have a good connection and like little movies try http://www.historychannel.com/1812/

my favourite tank?

The Renault Ft-17 was a remarkable creation - coming in 1917 it was the only tank to see extensive service in both world wars and was the first tank to have a rotating turret. It saw service all over the world from Poland to Japan. This site has photos from Morocco and this one on Polish use. This site has good photos of the model in the Brussels museum and Bovington. Article about Brazil's tank force here This was not a fast tank - being involved in mainly infantry support. It recently had a cameo in the movie 'A Very Long Engagement'.
A review of the 1/35 scale kit produced by RPM is here which makes either the machine-gun or cannon version. In 1/72 scale the Hat 'simple' kit looks the best value

Polish armoured car

On the subject of 1/35 models RPM of Poland do some excellent vehicles for the c1920 period so I might have a go at this one - looks really nice. I wonder how much a Zloti is? This model goes for about 6.99 on ebay.
Review here

Article on the Tc here

Kill Van Helsing

Halloween will see the mitchard family outing to see this bill of lovelies...Kill Van Helsing and the Cheater Slicks contain Gavin, an old friend an one-time band member. Vince Ray is the celebrated rock'n'roll artist.

War of 1812

Well the news that a group over here in the UK is now doing the War of 1812 - an international conflict in the Americas between the US and Great Britain made me do a little search and see what the web had to offer - this site is chock full of lovely photos and is a nice indicator of what looks like a good event
http://www.mississinewa1812.com/

Rare Budenovka for sale

This ebay sale of some rare soviet items is of interest - the train guard gymnasterka, red flag and this budenovka is fascinating.

World War One in 1/35 scale

While in the Bath Model Shop I spotted these interesting new figure kits from ICM - one of the many Eastern European modelmakers. They're German Infantry from WW1 and there's a corresponding set of Brits too. These kits must be a welcome addition to this scale and period - presumably fitting in with the Emhar World War One 1/35 tanks, artillery and figures.
Will this be the time to convert part of my garden to the recreation of a trench system in this scale - would this work? I've often wondered whether this was possible or would huge earthworms appear to be swooped down upon by a giant blackbird and spoil the fun? H G Wells in his classic 'Little Wars' always advocated the garden but would painted miniatures take the pounding of being used in the soil? Something to investigate.
A review of an intriguing new pair of Russian cavalrymen of the 1914 period appears
here

'Gettysburg' and 'Gods And Generals' movies

Why was it so that the movie Gettysburg was so good and the follow-up prequel Gods and Generals so bad? Maybe it was the writing? - G&G was written by the son of the author of 'The Killer Angels'the book on which Gettysburg was based...but the talking scenes in G&G are some of the worst ever filmed - particularly anything with Stonewall Jackson in or anything to do with any subject that got the actors all misty eyed. Jeff Daniels is one of the few of the orginal big names still on board and he looks puffy as if he's been hitting the biscuits while waiting for new offers to come in. Duvall is good as Lee but not as good as Martin Sheen with his sing-song southern lilt which you have to try and copy - 'I believe we may have an opportoonity heah'
The rendering of Frederciksburg is welldone and the battles pretty good all in all - but whereas Gettysburg is a buyer - G&G is a rental only - wonder if the law of diminishing sequels will extend to the 'Last Full Measure' the final chapter...I think I can wait.
Why are they discussing bird flu on the G&G message board?
Essays and articles on filmmaker Maxwell's site http://ronmaxwell.com/index.html

Hating Harry Potter

While at said pub - for a pub quiz which we won - I got pretty angry with the Quizmaster - three questions on Harry Potter? I objected - it's enough that the BBC push this crap on 'the kids 'through constantly banging on about it and would-be (fake) good parents thinking that it is somehow good for them (children)... I have to say - you're not fooling me - it's very name sends shivers up my spine - such middle-class vowel sounds make me realise that this is the new Enid Blyton - something designed to package our children off to suburban Bourgeoise nirvana - a brief respite before getting involved in ASBOS and drugs. It's always used as an excuse 'but it gets the kids to read' - what other books do you buy them then...obviously nothing any good...

Trafalgar day

Well I didn't like this at all. It had a feeling of enforced jollity like the many ww2 anniversary celebrations. Whilst I was at a pub someone stood at the bar said 'we're supposed to be celebrating Nelson today' - says who? The telly? The Queen? Is it something to do with the fact that we're in a war and we need recruits? The only thing I saw briefly was a recreated Spanish infantry comany of 1805 at Cadiz but I havent been able to see any photos online.
I think I am going to give up my interest in history - it's just a pretext to beguile naive idiots to join the forces.

19thc European uniforms

Franco-Prussian war

This is a period that a few English speaking people are drawn to but is more popular naturally in France and Germany. This site has a fantastic array of photos and information - well worth bookmarking if you have an interest in the period.

Great Northern War pics

This is a great group who recreate the age of Peter the great in Russia and Estonia - this is a series of photos from a movie shoot on the monarchs of Russia

The Thorny Path of Struggle and Torment: Songs of the White Army and the Russian Emigres

This was found on the Russian Civil War yahoo group - some of the titles are amazing - Though mockery, lies, and oppression surround usis one that springs to mind - listen to excerpts
http://www.musicarussica.com/discdet.lasso?-database=musrus_cds&-response=discdet.lasso&-layout=CD_Detail&ID=840&-search

Christie's Trafalgar Sale

some interesting items up for sale here - including a chapeau worn by the dimunitive one himself

Trafalgar Day

Sadly for us Francophiles and Bonapartists Trafalgar day looms - a fairly interesting set of programmes are scheduled by the BBC who were criticised for ignoring the festivities earlier this year

Happy John Peel Day

Well... the first day to celebrate the great man himself - and what better way than a concert recorded last night, broadcast tonight featuring the mighty Fall and New Order - apparently doing a set entirely of Joy Division songs. The new Fall lp is another classic (photo above is of singer/bard Mark E Smith from last nights concert) and the last of the Peel era songs - most of the songs Blindness, What About Us? 'I can hear the Grass grow'etc were on their last Peel session and performed on Later with Jools Holland.
Peel certainly loved the Fall and as another Fall fan it was reasssuring to have someone who loved them in the same way - will it ever be the same?
I'll always feel a warmth towards John Peel - Nigel our bass player waited outside the studio to give him our new debut 45 'Don't Misbehave in the New Age' - and he played it straightaway, first record of the night. Can't ask for more than that......

"They had built huts of bushes and leaves." The Work of John U Rees

This article by John U Rees is well worth a look - about the lodgings of soldiers in the American Revolution - includes a detail from Xaviera Della Gatta's painting of the Battle of Paoli. Also worth a look is "Bugle Horns", "conk shells," and "Signals by Drum":
Miscellaneous Notes on Instruments
During the American War for Independence also by John U. Rees
both from http://www.revwar75.com/ a site I hadn't seen up to now. A list of Rees' articles on camp life etc is here

Warriors

The other week I downloaded this oldie, about Gangs fighting in various strange guises - for the family - and Red said 'this would make a great computer game' and guess what its coming out - from Rockstar games

John Peel Day 13th October

October is the day set aside for the celebration of this great man. I guess I'll spend it playing the new Fall LP 'Fall Heads Roll' at a volume that might wake the dead. Gigs in the southwest are at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/johnpeelday/2005/gigs/sw/

F&I art - Nat Youngblood

Art of the French and Indian wars - an occasional look at this period through the eyes of artists - this example - which goes along with my theme of 'mini' wargaming is from Pittsburgh artist Nat Youngblood - more images here

Boats of the French and Indian wars

It's all very well these ranges, like the Pendraken 10mm wargames figures, having birchbark canoes but what about batteaux? Details of these and their use at this site
http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/historic/articles/bateau.htm

Wren on the Head?

Yesterday while I was at the PC Susan called over to me 'have I got something on my head' - I got up and went over and there was a Wren sat on her head - in the front room! I think Bottle, our cat must have brought it in and it had hidden and then made a bid for freedom. I tried to catch it but luckily it flew out the opened front door. Very strange.

10mm wargaming

This is a scale that is gaining ground in popularity - it could even be described as a craze - the world of mini-wargaming - figures that are 10mm in scale - not the smallest but pretty small. These French and Indian war figures are from one of the leading figure companies - Pendraken
I'm going to paint a few of these and post them up for your perusal. If you want lots of tips in how to paint them sign up for http://groups.yahoo.com/group/10mmMiniPaintersGuild/ for all the techniques. They are 2.75 a pack and Pendraken take Paypal. Caliver Books in the UK stock the Old Dominion Gameworks and Old Glory American Revolution figures in 10mm which will give you more Natives to paint as well.
The obvious advantage of this scale is a normal sized table can be used as your battlefield and the cost of the armies make it a pretty cheap experience.
There's another review here

Natives in the American Revolution

This document was posted by Rebecca Jordan of the Woodland Confederacy on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NativeList/
it concerns a European perspective on the Native allies that fought for Britain in the American Revolution

LETTER OF A BRUNSWICK OFFICER (excerpt)
in the army of General Bourgoyne, to a friend in Brunswick, Fort St. Anne, March 1777 translated by Geert van Uythoven...

The way battle is waged over here is very special, and differs totally from our systems. We campaign only two men high, and one man has to act on a distance of 18 Zoll from the other, to be able to march in line inside woodsand bushes. Cavalry is totally useless, and therefore our dragoons have to depend on their legs. Our colours encumber us much, and none of the English regiments has brought theirs with them. Every English regiment has a separate grenadier-, and a light company, which are formed into combined battalions which are of great use. The Corps Canadian Volunteers is not to despise.
The savages cannot be trusted because of their innate bestiality.They are very brave, but also very unbridled, and therefore have to be accompanied by English or Canadian officers. Above all they wish to fight independently, not under the command of English generals or officers, as true allies and friends of the king. One certain Iroquois, called Joseph, has been in England for some time. He knows to make a correct judgement of the interests of the English and savages, and he tries to build himself a name as chief of an army of savages. One is trying to prevent this in every possible way, then God should be merciful to the colonists that will be their neighbours. The savages are queer birds [sic!], which fall from one extreme into the other easily. I have been in Loretto, an old settlement of Huron's, which over eighty years ago were converted to Christianity. They have qualified themselves for regular cultivation and cattle-breeding. However, with surprise one notices that they cling to their old habits with perseverance. Their church is curious, and without any chairs or pews; on the other hand it is filled with handmade wooden saints, which, although they were Hebrew,Roman, Greek, or from another European nationality, are now depicted assavages in savage clothes and painted in many beautiful ways. I will noteasily forget the good Petrus, with his keys and beautifully painted face. I could tell you grotesque stories about their monarch Athanas who resides here, and who is honoured by the savages for hundreds of miles around. Aswell as about the prince, their upper-steward, and his three daughterprincesses. However, for now the hour-glass has been completely run through.(…)"
The expedition which has been mentioned, departed by water on the 16th. The author of the above letters has kept a diary of it, of which we will print the part which describes his first meeting with the savages:"On 21 June General Bourgoyne, Major-General von Riedesel, and bothBrigadiers Specht and von Gall departed for the camp of Brigadier Fraser at Rivière Bonguet, five hours distance from our camp. Here we saw a congress of savages of three tongues, which offered their services to GeneralBourgoyne. For the audience, a huge summer-house was build. Such a ceremony is very extraordinary, and I will describe it in detail some time when I have more time to spare. The deputies sat all in a circle on the naked ground, and smoked in their Calumots such a terrible tobacco, that one couldsuffocate. Their faces are painted with black and red, according to anyone's fantasies and ideas. The mutilation of their ears in many different ways is very special. Many have cut lose the complete edge of their ears, which hangs down like some decoration. The decoration of their hair is even more striking, and rarely one sees one of which not all hair has been pulled out except of a small part at the back of their heads, the bald places which have been created this way been painted with various figures. In their nosethey wear rings with small bells, or they pierce them with big red feathers or even blades of grass, etc. I especially liked one certain individual; he had painted one half of his face black, the other half red, and on the black half he had painted a red, on the other red half a black moustache. General Bourgoyne accepted the offer of the savages of Sault St. Luis or Kaynuawaga, of Jamaska and of the Abenaki's, and assured them of his friendships and reward. At the same time he pointed out to them, that all savage nations of the American continent had been summoned to serve against the rebels. In addition, they were urged strongly to spare old men, women and children, and not to scalp prisoners nor wounded. After that, they were regaled with some fat oxes and several casks of rum."
Source: Militair-Wochenblatt, 18. Jahrgang (Berlin 1833), No. 865, pp.4862-4860.(c) Geert van Uythoven

Aircraft of the Spanish Civil war
If you have any interest in the 'planes of the 30s then this is the site for a visit - well illustrated and organised - well worth the time
http://www.zi.ku.dk/personal/drnash/model/spain/SpainAir.htm

I need some fine wine and you, you need to be nicer
this the latest single from Sweden's Cardigans is a belter - no messing... lyrically, melodically it is a pop song from heaven - such a fantastic video that is so good
http://www.cardigans.com/?sid=archive&folder=videos

Polish Air Force
This crops up in Babel - in particular Cedric Fauntleroy the below note I found on the web
Major Cedric E. Fauntleroy was the leader of
a group of volunteer American pilots who formed an escadrille and fought and flew for Poland in the Polish–Russian War of 1919–1920 [sic]. They called themselves the Kosciuszko Squadron in honor of the 30 year old Polish Officer who served the cause of freedom during the American Revolutionary War [Saratoga, West Point, etc.]. Captain Merian C. Cooper conceived the idea of the squadron and Major Cedric E. Fauntleroy was its first commanding officer.
(Back dust jacket, Robert F. Karolevitz and Ross S. Fenn, Flight of Eagles: The Story of the American Kosciuszko Squadron in the Polish–Russian War 1919–1920, Sioux Falls, S.D.: Brevet Press, 1974)
An excellent website has this article White Eagles on the Polish Airforce of the period
Red Air forces here

Russian art
George Mitrevski has a pleasant gallery of Russian art that might interest some people - one called Red Cavalry caught my eye http://www.auburn.edu/academic/liberal_arts/foreign/russian/art/index.html

Book: 'Red Cavalry and Other Stories' Isaac Babel
This is the Penguin Modern Classic version which also compiles his Odessa stories and many others.
A collection of short stories written when Babel was assigned to Budyenny's Red Cavalry - all based on fact, apparently. Now if this description doesnt send you to order a copy nothing I can say will persuade you - but it is a must have classic work. Written during the failed Soviet invasion of Poland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish-Soviet_War
this collection of anecdotes about the human condition take you to the front line of history, among the blood and misery, the humour and tragedy of warfare.
This was one of the last wars to use mounted troops for shock action and it shows a time now gone when mounted bands went into battle and when cavalry charges still took place with lance and sword.

Russian Civil war weekend
This weekend just gone saw Dave Allen and I making the long trek north to just outside York - to Murton Park - York's museum of farming for a Russian civil war weekend. How it works is the museum which has a Danelaw village, railway and Roman fort allows itself to be Russia for the weekend - the thatched wattle and daub huts of the Viking period look ideal for Russian peasant dwellings. This was with the 1914-21 society who normally recreate troops of the Tsar in the Great War. I was hoping to put some photos with this but you'll have to use your imagination - the huts were an excellent backdrop - ideal for skirmishing around with their shuttered windows and outhouses. We were able to sleep in these hobbit houses which was fun, too.

Animals and men cd
Recently Susan and my band had a cd out and it's always frightening - wondering how it'll go down - today we got a review at http://www.mickmercer.com/ - I'm too scared to read it yet but Bea says its favourable... maybe I'll hazard a look

Seven Years War anniversary events
Udo of the Prussians is looking for good groups to take part in the anniversaries of Minden and many others - if you are one of these SYW groups interested email him at UdoBruehe@gmx.de
If you want to check out the Prussians and many more go to my site www.ageofreason.tk

I wish you would - Billy Boy Arnold - a forgotten classic
This year sees the anniversary of many great records - 1955 was one of the best. A reissue of the classic Bo Diddley/I'm a Man had been done by Chess but I thought it might be interesting to look at another unsung masterpiece of 55 'I wish You would'.
Billy Boy Arnold was part of the wave of 2nd generation Chicago bluesmen although Billy Boy picked up his harp style not only from records but also from the great John Lee 'Sonny Boy' Williamson. Billy Boy played with Bo on the streets of Chicago perfecting their distinctive 'African' style sound - complete with maraccas and a repetitive hypnotic riff. An early dub of Bo Diddley caught the ear of Chess records and an audition was set up. Billy Boy was told by Bo after the session that Leonard Chess thougth his style too dirivative of Sonny Boy's and so Billy Boy took his self to Chess's rival VeeJay. The result was 'I Wish You Would' - reputably the first use of electric bass on record in Chicago. Unfortunately Chess considered this competition for 'Bo Diddley' and had strings pulled to keep the record off the air, and so the record wasnt as much of a smash as it should be. Listen to Billy Boy classic 45 here
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000364G/ref=m_art_li_7/102-0207435-2646556?v=glance&s=music

Lobositz 1756
Well the anniversary of the Seven Years War moves into the European phase with next year a reenactment of this, the opener between Austria and Prussia. This battle is being reenacted in 2006 on the dates, 29th September to the 1st October - groups of the period who might be interested contact
David Griffiths,
Zamec Borec,
41002 BOREC 1,
CZ,
zamek.borec@post.cz
Information and links to groups reenacting the 7 years war at www.ageofreason.tk
Info and pictures of this battle
http://www.philmac.demon.co.uk/lobositz.html

No Direction Home - Dylan documentary
This was an amazing piece of telly. Dylan, usually reticent, tackles the difficult years of his turning his back on the folk scene and embracing poetry against the 'topical' song. Loads of clips keep the pace going and some really good versions of some of his classic works appear - some of it live, some in the studio. I had forgotten what a true original Dylan was/is and this work showed him in his prime; besuited in beatle boots, getting booed by the northern lads and lasses who in little glimpses seem like children compared to the godlike Bob. The looseness of the sound created by Bob and the Band is well demonstrated with unusual by contextually correct versions of the songs if you know what I mean. Other folk and Blues performers get a mention - there is even a 5 second burst of the Wolf doing Spoonful at the Newport Folk Festival.
While in the mood here's my top 5 Dylan songs at this second in time
Obviously Five Believers
From a Buick 6
Visions of Johanna
Watching the River Flow
Highway 61

Giant squid Photographed in its natural habitat
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8064

New York Dolls on 'Don Kirschner's Rock Concert'
I have only just seen this performance - another of the web's joys... a tv show from 1975 - it is just brilliant. It knocks into a cocked hat any theory that the NYD's weren't the best band of the 70s - the energy and passion present alone make them the best rock thing America had produced up til that time. Thunders' doing Chatterbox is phenomenal especially compared to the later renditions and Johansen pouts and preens himself throughout. Jerry Nolan fans get to see him drumming centre stage behind the singer and he is all arms - a veritable squiddley diddley.

No Direction Home
I admit to being a Dylan fan - at least the classic period which this documentary covers - 1961-66. I'm looking forward to it immensely actually - does that make me really unfashionable? as my kids tell me Dylan is about as unfashionable as it comes due to him not being dead and all that. Anyway
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/dylan/
or http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/bobdylan/

Powell & Pressburger
This week a couple of classics have been screened - a Matter of Life and Death' and 'Life and Death of Colonel Blimp' - both featuring the excellent Roger Livesey. It's hard to put the appeal of these films into words - their high production values show what might have been if Britain had been blessed with a Hollywood system - these films are essentially British but also first class - something that few British films can be. This site http://www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/index.html has a lot of good stuff on these best of British filmmakers.

Haitian history
one anniversary that slipped by me was the anniversary of the Republic of Haiti in 1804 - an amazing tale well worth reading about - check out http://www.kreyol.com/history.html for a start. I've always thought the story of Toussaint L'Ouverture could make a good movie and one that could bring positive light on the history of this brave endeavour. A shortened version of key events are here http://www.answers.com/topic/history-of-haiti
An article on Dessalines is here http://www.discoverhaiti.com/history00_10_1.htm

Jean Lafitte
I was talking to Dave Allen about my New Orleans battle idea and it wasn't going to well until I mentioned there were French pirates there...but it was Talk Like a Pirate Day which seems to have really got this country going . Here's a piece on Jean Lafitte
http://www.crimelibrary.com/americana/lafitte/main.htm

The 9eme legere
Those of you who are reenactors may despair at the lack of progress of your unit but take heart - it wasn't that long ago that this unit were just a core of two or three people - now look at them. It goes to show that if you stick with something and get it right then it will all fall into place. This group are on a bicentennial scheme following the changes in uniform as it goes.
http://www.9eme.com/pages/932974/index.htm

Blowing the Blues: A History of Blues Harmonica by Various Artists
this is a fantastic 3 cd set on the history of blues harmonica - tracklisting and samples here
http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/album/album.cgi?ALBUMID=1439841
the first 2 cds are absolute gems with the legends of pre war harp such as Noah Lewis, Jaybird Coleman and Jazz Gillum. The 2nd cd deals with the golden age if you like - the Sonny Boys, Little Walter, Big Walter - you know them - includes some great harp work. Cd 3 is a little less indespensible but who knows - maybe it'll grow on me.

Howl's Moving Castle
This week sees the release at the cinema in the UK of this new title from Studio Ghibli - the people who brought you 'Spirited Away' and many other superior family animation classics. Set in a Victorian world the trailer may be seen here http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/howls_moving_castle/
Based on the book by Diana Wynne Jones it has been redubbed with many Hollywood biggies lending their vocal talents.
Official website http://www.howl-movie.com/
To learn more about the work of the creator Hayao Miyazaki go to http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/

Slim Harpo
Occasionally I'm going to feature some of the greats of Louisiana's musical heritage which is so rich and diverse as to have produced so many good records and artists in the 20th century.
The region's influence is everywhere - even in music like Slim Harpo's electric blues. On paper Slim, aka James Moore, from Baton Rouge was an imitator; most of his material is a take on the Jimmy Reed style from Chicago - lazy guitar boogies over racked harp and even lazier singing but Slim Harpo brought something else with him - the tonality and rhythms of Louisiana.
His repertoire of r&b hits encompasses some of the most covered of all blues songs 'I'm a King Bee', 'Got Love If you want it', 'Shake Your Hips', all with their original echoey recording sound and their sparse, unusual percussion. Moore's nasal vocal style is infectious as is his style of songwriting - minimalistic and somehow desolate. Witness the great swamp pop of 'Raining in my heart' or 'Baby Scratch My Back'. Anyway - listen to some clips on amazon - you might like it - you might even grow to love it. 'Wondering' and Worrying' is a personal favourite with probably the best intro I've ever heard.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000005KPX/ref=pd_sim_music_3/104-3613371-7612762?v=glance&s=music

Lake George French and Indian war tactical - keeping it real
Can you imagine reenacting the French and Indian war in the historic backdrop where it took place, away from the public in a 'wargame' situation - scouting, ambushing and so on for a good few days? Well that's what the Lake George tactical is all about. Read about it here http://reenacting.net/lgt/index.html I was lucky enough thanks to Dubois to attend this event in 99 and it is a real eye-opener and worth attending. I'd love to take a party over from Europe - just the experience of living on jerky and lake water waiting for a possible Ranger ambush is amazing. It's usually in October so flights aren't expensive and there's nothing to spend money on once you're on the the expansive Lake and its environs. Highlights for me were a night scout when we canoed around the myriad islands under the northern lights and the various treks when we outscouted the Brits and took their flag. The weather's pretty mild in comparison to the UK at this time and it is certain you'll never be quite the same again. Read the journals and so on at the webpage above and maybe make a date for 2006?

250th anniversary redcoats - the 44th Foot
As mentioned elsewhere on this blog this year is the 250th anniversary of 1755 - a year in which the world war known as the Seven Years War kicked off. There seems to be some confusion among reenactors as to what British redcoats looked like in the American theatre and in Europe so I thought it interesting to feature the 44th regiment of foot, from the US. who were originally participants in the great Braddock disaster at Monogahela. Their wesbite is here http://44thregiment.itgo.com/ - the image left is from their website and is their webdesigner Ryan Gale.
If you are a francophile and want to see the French side of this picturesque conflict you won't have long to wait for more features.

Is this the best 18th century reenactment group in the world?
This Milan-based group recreating the Garde Francoises of the Seven Years War are in my opinion the best 18thc society. Their leader and tailor Gabriele Mendella is certainly one of those rare people in reenactment - someone who knows what they're talking about - he's inspected and handled pretty much all the existing uniforms and painstakingly recreates them. They may have a webpage of their own by now but in the meantime check out www.ageofreason.tk for more

my children got to meet their tv chef idol Gary Rhodes in Bath today promoting his new book 'Keeping it Simple' - the usual Rhodes' mixture of common-sense cooking and ingenuity. He must win an award for being the least annoying tv chef ... so far

Review; Italeri 1/72 indian warriors (American Independence war)

I have always liked small plastic figures. I like them for a number of reasons, some of them nostalgic - the opening of a new box is a pleasure that goes right back to way back in my childhood, but I also like the sculpting, animation and availability of them too. Recently many new companies have increased the depth of subjects covered and the overall accuracy of the figures has improved incredibly. Leaders in the market include eastern European manufacturer Zvezda whose Samurai warriors have raised the boom in quality and accuracy and companies like Emhar and HaT industries have brought new ideas and useful poses into the frame.
A site that is so valuable in taking the guesswork out of buying these figures by reviewing the figures and categorising them by time period and manufacturer is the Plastic Soldier Review - visit this site and be amazed at the range of figures now available to the modeller or wargamer.
Indian Warriors
As someone interested in the frontier period in American history I was looking forward to these woodland indians from Italeri and whilst they aren't perfect they certainly do the job of recreating the allies of the British in the American Revolution. OK so the sculptor doesnt really know anything about ballheaded clubs - that much is eveident - and the gunstock clubs are a little too prevalent showing the influence of the 'Mohicans' movie on the choice of weapons. A lot of the poses are kind of strange - one holding a scalp aloft being one and some very odd waving stances being some that come to mind. None of the warriors look like they know how to fire a musket which would be erroneous in that most woodland indians were expert marksmen and none are using the bow or woodland spear. It is another case of the box art being so much better than the contents but they are worth a paintjob and coupled with the other Revolution or Seven Years war figures enable people to recreate battles of the French and Indian wars pretty cheaply. Imex are planning releases of Mohawks and Rogers Rangers to add to their already impressive range of settlers, wagons and stagecoaches in their American History series - one set includes wigwams and camp equipment for 'Eastern Friendly Natives'.
So there you have it - the future is plastic - check out the Plastic soldier Review for the all-important 'sprue shots' http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Index.html

Cossacks 2 looks good
check out the gallery for this new Napoleonic realtime strategy pc game - looks good but then I'm a fan of Cossacks and American Conquest the predecessors - also watch out for the American civil war version of the latter
http://www.cossacks2.de/index.php?m=gallery&lang=en#screen54

http://www.cossacks2.de/

http://www.americanconquest.com/

Testard de Montigny
This is a French group recreating the Compagnie franches de la marine in North America. These were colonial soldiers garrisoning the forts up and down the various rivers and lakes in Canada and beyond http://www.membres.lycos.fr/ciefranchedelamarine/

If you thought this was all cavalry, this war of 1920 had a fascinating armoured car column made of converted Model T Fords - go to this site to read about it and see pictures of the vehicles
http://derela.republika.pl/kovel.htm

Battle of Komarów 1920
As a cavalry fan I was pleased to have an account of this battle come through the post today. It's the last big decisive cavalry battle in history and it could be credited as being the battle that saved the rest of Europe from the Bolshevik peril. It certainly was bad for the hitherto invincible Budenny and his cavalry army - but Polish cavalry have never been a push over - they could be credited as having saved Europe in 1685 relieving the siege of Vienna but that's another story - to read about the miracle on the Vistula go here
http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/brokensabres.htm
or here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Komarów

Crimean war period drum
Occasionally I will put up 'things I would buy if I was rich' which appear on ebay. This drum is one here
Some Russian military drums of this period were made in England by Potters of London.
More military drums, some made by Potters are for sale here http://www.qcmilitaria.com/band2.htm

this site is hilarious. It's a collection of unintentionally funny comic covers - mostly DC showing how stupid some of the stories and so on were from these so-called classics
http://superdickery.com/
subjects are categorized and its well worth spending some time in this amusing world

September 8th 1798
This date saw the surrender of the French forces under Humbert in Ireland. There's a chronology here http://homepages.iol.ie/~fagann/1798/conaught.htm

Waterloo 1705
What is it about this village in Belgium that makes it the centre of a major battle every hundred years or so. Obviously we have the one in 1815 and it was fought over in 1914 but there was also conflict there in the Marlborough period - in 1705 to be precise - check out these great photos - http://www.pixelsbw.com/netguide-jaune/marlborough02/photo006.htm
this one features the UK's Lord Orkneys regiment - other groups featured include Holcroft Bloods and Sans Pareil and the Dutch Blue Guards

Battle of New Orleans - the story of a random hit record
While reading up on the historical battle which is pretty fascinating in itself I naturally came across the random hit of the same name - anyway the story is here http://www.tsimon.com/battle.htm and the lyrics here http://www.bluegrassnet.com/tgbs/B/Battle_of_new_orleans.html
It mentions a time when historical themes were popular in hit songs and sites this one on the Battle of Waterloo - read the lyrics and try to understand what he is talking about
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/classic-country/waterloo---stonewall-jackson-14944.html

Thanks to Eric for spotting this excellent video - from a Russian band called Gluk'oza, the song Shvanie (Russian for pig) shows animated pig-Nazis in all manner of amusing scenarios. Brilliant http://e-23.org/glukoza/video.php

Looking for information on the Battle of New Orleans I came across this site - the Gallery of Illustration http://www.galleryofillustration.com/index.html

that had this paiting by Ronald Embleton

Battle of New Orleans?
This maybe another off-the-wall idea but that's why its my blog - so I can say what I want. How about this? We organise a one-off charity benefit reenactment of the Battle of New Orleans? It could involve lots of groups and could be the sort of thing that would generate a good response. Why not approach a host site for an event? I can think of one place at least?

250th anniversary of 1755

This year is pretty significant in the form of anniversaries and the like - it is the 250th of the year 1755 - the year when everything kicked off with the French and Indian war - or the Seven years war. Events of 1755 are here http://www.sevenyearswarassociation.com/Reference/SYWChron1755.html
This is a period much favoured by filmmakers, novelists and the like most notably 'Lsst of the Mohicans' 'Northwest Passage' (about Rogers Rangers rather than the passage of the title which only comes in the end when they set off to find it!) and soon the already mentioned 'Nouvelle France'.
The early battles of this war being celebrated this year in and around upstate New York and so on are pretty spectacular affairs so if you're in the states go to www.frenchandindianwar250.org
In the UK check out http://www.nfoe.org.uk/

The History of the World - in movies
I just thought of this concept - why I don't know, but perhaps Sky's Hollywood versus History season sparked it off, but anyway here it is. A comprehensive list of feature films chronologically depicting the history of the world - say from prehistory to 2000. It could be subdivided into periods. Once assembled it could provide quite an interesting resource if only to find out the gaps when moviemakers just can't be bothered.

My Doorbell White Stripes
http://www.whitestripes.net/downloads.php This is a pleasant slice of Americana with naked 'Basement tapes' piano over the usual heaven and hell drumming you get with the Striped ones. The video is a treat showing them playing an infants school in retro black and white.

Rough Crossings - Simon Schama hits the bigtime
This book http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0563487097/026-9843732-4606047
is picking up good reviews. Basically it concerns slaves during the American Revolution and Britain's involvement in their fate. It's part of a huge deal worth £3 million - the largest advance given to a tv historian as there will be two BBC series scheduled on Anglo-American migration and relations to follow.
There's a review here http://www.economist.com/printedition/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=4316123 as I'm not going to shell out 20 quid - I'll wait for it in the library, but it does look an interesting subject.
An interview with the UK's most popular historian is here http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2002/10/18/bascham18.xml

Two autumn historical blockbusters
Two big pictures this year deal with aspects of America's past - one 'New World' directed by Terence Malick stars Colin Farrell as John Smith http://www.thenewworldmovie.com/
The website has some interstng features sucj as the choreographing of Native extras and building the Jamestown Fort. Also stars Wes (Magua) Studi
Also this autumn is Nouvelle France - http://www.filmnouvellefrance.com/
set in 1750s Canada starring Gerard Depardieu this Canadian made movie has looked interesting from the trailer but other reports suggest it may be disappointing

Napoleon III's camp at Chalons photos from 1857
This website is a must if you like me have an interest in military history. These photos show a series of military maneuvres in 1857 - done at the height of the military fame of the French army it depicts Zouaves in camp as well as a series of sculptures done by the units in their semi permanent bivouac.
http://www.napoleon.org/en/special_dossier/chalons/homepage/home.html

'George Bush doesn't care about Black People'
watch Kanye West - see below - lets rip on live tv - worth watching someone telling it like it is. Respect
http://www.collegehumor.com/movies/1604601/

Kanye West Golddigger
Do you like hip hop? I have to admit to liking it above most of what counts as 'pop' music these days. This is one single that we all liked. It features Jamie Foxx (he who played Ray Charles in the recent biopic) singing a hacked-about sample of the vocal line of Brother Ray's 'I got a Woman'. Of course I immediately tried to seem hip and interest those about by playing the original but noone cared
ANYWAY
The hook line is
Now I aint sayin she a gold digger
But she aint messin wit no broke niggaz
Nod your head slowly to the beat, if you like it.
See the glamour-heavy video here http://www.nobodysmiling.com/hiphop/musicvideo/84996.php
lyrics here http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Golddigger-lyrics-Kanye-West/455A56FFA5F48AFA482570560053ED5E

Love In A Trashcan Video - Raveonettes
Danish countryfied rockers the Raveonettes have made a great video for this track which I think is the highlight of the album 'Pretty in Black'. I said 'bet they do a version in pink vinyl' and guess what? - they do. But 16 other versions are available - see
http://www.raveonettes.com/

Fats Domino news
To me, someone who will always be the embodiment of New Orleans - Fats Domino - is safe and well according to the online page http://www.fatsonline.nl/
A photo showing him being rescued gives all music fans a boost but it has to be said that the world must be in mourning for one of the most important cultural centres in the world which is currently in a state of disaster. Share some time to feel compassion for the people still suffering and let's hope they get some aid fast. New Orleans, famous for its jazz has given the world some of the finest rock and roll, r'n'b and soul music too - try and help where you can.
Learn more about New Orleans by following the NO links on Fats' homepage above

CBGBS to close?
is the legendary club about to close - does this mean another ambition to remain unfulfilled?
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/music/article.adp?id=20050831141209990015

Wrong again Robin
This is Alex - a Robin and regular visitor to our garden - in fact he lands on us sometimes. This photo was taken without zoom - he was within a few feet. Now as I know it Robins are friendly only in the UK where they have a special status related to the martyrdom of Christ - and were therefore not captured or killed. Can anyone verify this fact? Pic by Bea

I have to mention my old band, Animals and men got a good review from Ed Zed at Rockbottom - a skateboarder magazine! yes indeed - go to
http://www.rockbottomvm.com/rb_music/pages/musicreviews.html